Microsoft and a lesson on the cost of ineffective communication March 4, 2008
Posted by John in Communication.Tags: Marketing, Vista
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Why is effective communication so important? There are variety of examples and reasons to be clear and concise, but when it comes to managing major marketing campaigns, it raises the stakes considerably. In an effort to pacify its partner Intel and other suppliers, when Microsoft was preparing to launch Vista it allowed computers that weren’t entirely up to snuff to be marketed as “Vista Capable” and more capable computers to be designated “Vista Premium Ready”. Now there is a lawsuit that has just been granted class action status over the confusion this distinction created.
Seth Godin recently made the point that its up to the communicator to be effective in the first place. If I’m not paying attention to your presentation that’s my fault, but if I’m just plain bored or confused, that’s up to the communicator. If Microsoft had done a better job and taken care of this marketing effort better in the first place, they may have avoided another lawsuit.
Two Excellent Books on Communication February 28, 2008
Posted by John in Books, Communication, Presentations.add a comment
Two great books on communicating more effectively
* Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds
* Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
I feel that the these two books are a worthy addition to anyone’s library who is looking to communicate more effectively.
I have seen people focus on the powerpoint slides themselves during presentation as though they are sole object of importance. So much so that they put their back to the audience so that they could also admire their handiwork on screen.
What Presentation Zen and its accompanying blog advocate is an different approach than we traditionally see when PowerPoint is involved. Advice includes driving home the point that slides support you as a speaker, and are not by themselves the message. Reynolds also suggests a separate report for extra information that may be relevant but may weaken the may point of your presentation. There are a variety of tips and advice for improving your message making this book worthwhile for anyone who presents regularly.
Made to Stick is an excellent break down of what are key elements to making a message or idea “stick”. Garr Reynolds, author of Presentation Zen wrote a good summary of what Made to Stick is about and it can be found here.
